Mistaken Identity: Help with Kenmore Water Heater

Power Miser 12. After 3 years my tank just started to have the pilot lite problem. I felt the thermocouple was still good since it stayed lit after lighting, but went out again after tank being used. This whole thing about inflammable vapor protection was new to me, but it made since that the bottom filter was probably clogged since my heater is in the laundry room. Since I have a pan under my heater I couldn't access the bottom of that ceramic filter, so I took out the burner assembly, cleaned the pilot tip and the ignitor, and vacuumed the inside of the rust debris, then like suggested, rigged up a 90 ell and used my compressor to blow the filter from the inside. lot of dust. I also blew out the pilot gas line since I had the line off the gas valve. Too bad the system wasn't designed to you could easily remove and clean the ceramic filter. I noticed that one of the plastic air filters was off, probably since the install and the other was dirty but not so much that I would think it would starve the pilot flame. So I think the ceramic filter is the culprit. I too removed the gas line grommet to get some air in there. We will see how it goes.

We just purchased a Power Miser 6 about 3 weeks ago, and we are having the same problem with the pilot light going out.  Now the water only gets half ass warm.....and just enough for 1 bath.  It is located in a closet with our heating/AC unit.  We are just about ready to take it back to Sears and tell them where they can stick it and get out money back.  We may try checking the filter first since the heating unit may be pulling dust into the closet.

I had the same problem with the pilot light going out(Power miser 9). I would relight the pilot and things would be fine for maybe a day. The one time i relight it i was putting the cover back on when i bumped the thermocouple line and the burner shut off. I tried to relight the pilot but couldn't get it to stay lit. After many attempts to relight this thing i got thinking that if bumping the thermocoupler line shut it off maybe wiggling it might help. It did, first attempt at relighting it was going and stayed running for about a month. It started happening again, but i would wiggle the line and it would start, but this came to an end, couldn't get it to light! Phoned Sears Service..bottom line .. pay for this..this..this...and some of that. I don't think so. I know enough about these things to get me in trouble but either way if i screw up i'm not going to pay anymore then having them come to fix it. I took the burner assembly out and found at the thermocouple bulb end they have the line cut and soldered to disc, the one side the solder(bad soldering job)was broking away from the disc. I simply resolder this back together and things have bin working fine since. Talking with Sears the told me i would have to replace the whole burner assembly...Yah because of a bed soldering job

Help - how do i light the PILOT LIGHT? My water heater is less than a year old. I dont want to EXPLODE!!!!

I will clean out all the stuff mentioned but the main flame looks normal so it must be getting enough air....so why wouldn't the pilot get enough air? I will just solder the TCO (thermal cut-out) switch near the thermocouple. This is a wafer wired near the thermocouple and wasn't used in the past. I'll just short the thing out because it is activating too early.

I just soldered across it to short it out. Anything the government does is stupid and the engineer who designed the TCO should be fired. A. O. Smith should be sued.

I replaced my whirlpool with this Bradford white model number m15036fcx7 1 1/2 ago, because bottom came out of the whirlpool, six months later my otherone started having the problem with the thermocoupler, now 1 yr later my Bradfor white has the same problem all the sudden my pilot light went out last night and cannot get it to stay lit? I know with whirlpool they furnish the part for free for their problem, what is the problem with this one?

thanks

We're getting awful customer service from Sears. This website thread is great, I feel much better knowing that I am not the only one being ripped off. I will be watching for ways to screw Sears for many years to come.

Now I just need to find a mirror, a tiny vaccum and the mysterious 2nd lint screen. Aargh!

Thanks guys for all this info. Too bad I didn't read all of the 14 pages, of this inherent problem, before I bought my unit. I certainly would have purchased from a different company.

MY Power Miser 12 was purchased on March 18, 2009 and installed on March 19, 2009, by a Sears sub contractor, who by the way, did a decent and clean installation. Three hours after he left, the unit crapped out--because of pilot light failure. I called the sub contractor, who walked me through the steps to relight it. He also informed me to call Sears, should it happen again. That in itself--was a clue.

The very next morning, March 20th, the water, at best, was luke warm. Again the pilot light was out. A call to Sears put me on a 'wait list' of 4 days, before they can send out a tech. This is sad, because it's no longer the Sears Co., I grew up with.

Now, with all this info, I'm ready and 'armed for bear,' to see how they respond to correcting this problem, or try to wiggling out. BRAND NEW!!!! AND OUT OF THE BOX---A FAILURE.